Supreme Court Decision Reaction

WASHINGTON, DC (WENY) -- Everyone in Washington is talking about the political ramifications of the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act. “It sets up a clear debate and a distinction between the two sides as we go into November,” said Southern Tier Republican Rep. Tom Reed. Reed says he respects the Court’s ruling, but he’s not happy the individual mandate was upheld in the form of a tax. “It’s not good policy in my opinion. There are some health insurance reform measures in there that we believe in and need to be continued forward like pre-existing conditions and allowing kids up to the age of 26 to be carried on their parents’ insurance, but we need to get to the root cause of the problem, and those are health care cost increases that are going across the nation in a way that’s ever escalating,” said Reed. With more than 30 years of experience in the health care field, Northern Tier Republican Congressman Glenn Thompson says he’s also committed to reforming the system, but says the Affordable Care Act is flawed. “The one message from the Supreme Court I got is Congress has to fix its own mistakes, and so we’ll do that,” said Thompson. Meanwhile, Democrats are praising the decision, saying it’s a major victory for the Obama Administration. Southern Tier Democratic Congressman Maurice Hinchey released a statement today saying, "Finally, our country can move forward. With this decision, we can now enjoy the greatest victory for improving the health and well-being of all Americans since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. I applaud the Court for not allowing politics to interfere with its job of upholding the Constitution.” Less than an hour after the Court announced its decision, House leaders said they’re scheduling a vote to repeal the entire health care law soon.